I was a bright child. However, when I was in kindergarten and first grade, I scored consistently poor- to average in my coursework. My parents were befuddled, and I was frustrated. I was "tracked" into a lower (not upper) level curriculum. This curriculum was slower and not as challenging...and certainly not as interesting. I continued to do poorly, even in the "easier" curriculum.
My parents knew me and knew I was capable of doing better. They were so confused. They had conferences with my teachers; nothing seemed to help.
One day, I was taking a walk with mom and dad down our gravel road on a lovely early evening after dinner. I happened to glance up at the telephone lines and see something I couldn't identify. I asked my parents what those black dots were up there on the lines. They looked in the direction I was pointing and saw me squinting up at a troop of birds flapping their wings - which I could see only as dark blurry dots. It all became clear - to them, not to me - that their bright little girl simply needed glasses to correct astigmatism and near-sightedness. After I got the glasses and could see clearly for the first time in years (I never even knew the world could be so sharp and focused) I started to make high scores in all of my coursework.
But I remained tracked in the lower level for several grades regardless. Untracking me, or "re"tracking me was like steering the Titanic. Once you're labeled mediocre, that's how you continue to be perceived in the public schools. It wasn't until a particularly feisty 4th grade teacher petitioned for me to be put in a higher level in 5th grade that I got in with the bright kid crowd...and stayed there until I graduated, with honors, from high school.
My Experiences Since Then:
That story no doubt would leave readers to believe that I think ability tracking is inherently wrong. I do not. One of the hardest things for a teacher to deal with effectively is teaching a class full of students with a large range of ability levels. (My grandma did it in a one-room school house in West Virginia.) You can make all kinds of arguments for how the bright kids are supposed to teach the not-so-bright kids, but then, how is that fair to the bright kids? We know that kids who are not challenged in school tend to act out. We know that kids who are overwhelmed in school tend to act out. I’ve taught adults in developmental English classes who range from barely literate to just a point away from assessing into ENG 111 – how do I meet the needs of both and assess them fairly???
This being said, if we are going to separate out kids and adults based on their ability levels, we must bear three things in mind: 1. These levels are not and should not be thought of as permanent. You can assess out of them. (Upwards or downwards.) 2. We should not stick our new and unproven teachers in the lower levels, but rather our most talented and proven teachers – since the remedial programs require the most teaching talent and skill. 3. We need to build true learning communities regardless of the students’ skill levels. Learning must be a challenging but fun and uplifting environment. This will be no simple task, since kids and adult who are placed in “remedial” classes tend to already be antagonistic towards formal education. (Usually because they have been marginalized by it in the past.)
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